Sports Reporting Class: 09.05.2012

Sports Reporting Class: September 5, 2012

Quote for the Day: “For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks not that you won or lost but how you played the game.” – Grantland Rice

Quick fun fact: Can someone tell me who Grantland Rice was?

Attendance: Reminder of attendance policy.

Assignments:

For tonight: Article critique #1 is due. Please hand in at the beginning of class

For next week: Event coverage schedule is DUE. This is crucial to the planning of the rest of the semester for class. Do not wait till the LAST MINUTE to do this!

Main topic for tonight’s class: The art of the interview.

Preparing for the next class:

For next week: Event coverage schedule is DUE. This is crucial to the planning of the rest of the semester for class. Do not wait till the LAST MINUTE to do this!

In-class press conference: Marist College just promoted long-time men’s cross country and track coach Pete Colaizzo from a part-time coaching position to the full-time Director of Track/Cross Country position. This press conference is set to announce this promotion. Your job is to prepare at least 3 (or more) pertinent questions to ask Coach Pete in the press conference. Bring in your 3 (or more) questions in printed form and ready to be handed in.

Discussion of real-life sports column from five years ago: Read a sports column that was published in December 2007. Be prepared to discuss three (or more) things that you liked about it and three or more things that you think can be improved about it.

Topic for tonight’s class: The art of the interview. How can a young and aspiring sports reporter prepare himself/herself to do a great job of interviewing athletes, coaches, etc?

Overview: Before we discuss the HOW, first we must discuss the WHY.

Excellent preparation = great interviews

Lazy or shoddy preparation = weak interviews

Interviews, and the quotes you get from the interviews, are CRUCIAL ELEMENTS to Sports Reporting and the stories you will write for this class or for any publication

Excellent reporting = great stories

Lazy or shoddy reporting = weak stories

THIS COUNTS FOR COLUMNS, TOO

To excel as a sportswriter, first you must be a great reporter

To excel as a writer, first you must be a great reporter

Tips to becoming a skilled, proficient reporter and interviewer

Be “there,” wherever “there” is: David Marrannis and the Green Bay story (I will relate this story to you in class). Don’t be lazy. Grab a notebook and a recorder and GO THERE. Don’t do the phone unless there is no other alternative.

Have eyes in the back of your head: Notice, notice, notice … little details that someone else is not noticing. Watch the game, but look for other subtle details surrounding the game. Check the coach on the sideline. But also check the coach’s wife or family freaking out in the stands.

Real life example: Let’s say you are covering the road race on campus this weekend. You are interviewing a runner. You notice that runner is wearing Vibram 5 Fingers shoes. Or, a runner is wearing an “In Memory Of … ” shirt. Bingo! There’s a unique angle for you …

Think outside the box: ESPN columnist and author Ian O’Connor makes a living by making the less-than-obvious phone call on an obvious story. If he can do it, so can you. It is what separates him from the pack. You just have to THINK HARD and then DO IT.

When you cover an event or a game, be an active viewer and not a passive viewer: How can you do this? By taking notes on what you see. By taking statistics. By listening with bionic ears.

Details, details, details: Watch and look for them, in obvious and less-than-obvious places.

How important are statistics: What do YOU think? They do not need to crowd your story, but statistics and numbers can be excellent tools when going to your sources to ask questions.

As you cover an event or a game, think in advance what question or questions you will ask your sources: DO NOT ASK OBVIOUS QUESTIONS. UNLESS YOU WANT OBVIOUS ANSWERS.

Asking the difficult questions: The importance of having the courage to do this? But what if you are too close to your subject? What if it is your BEAT?

No cheering in the press box: Can you root for the team you are covering? What does that do to your ability to effectively cover that event, do your interviews and write your stories?

Pet peeve questions: “Tell me about …” “How did it feel when …” “Were you happy/upset about your team’s performance?”

Think outside the box, part 2: Be original with secondary sources. Make your story stand out. Interview the pitching coach, the bullpen catcher, the clubhouse attendant …

The types of interviews and settings:

1-The one-on-one interview: Perhaps the most intimidating but ultimately most effective

2-The post-game interview, one-on-one (best, if you can do it)

3-The post-game interview, press conference setting

4-The post-game interview, microphones in the face setting (piggy back on the pet peeve!)

5-The telephone interview: Only if you have to

6-The e-mail interview: Major advantages and disadvantages

Based on this discussion and your experience, give some tips on how to prepare for interviews: